Looking at Life 100 Years Ago

Emma Morano was born on November 29, 1899 in Italy and is currently the oldest living person on Earth. At just two months short of 117 years old, she is one of the world’s roughly 450,000 centenarians. A centenarian is someone who has lived to be 100 years old or older – something that Ms. Morano did back in 1999.

Living to be 100 years old is quite a feat, but one that is becoming more common with increases and health care and living conditions. In fact, according to www.thecentenarian.co.uk, centenarians are the fastest growing segment of the population. Since National Centenarian Day is today, September 22, this got us thinking about how much our industry, as well as the world around us, has changed in 100 years. The comparison is mind blowing! Check it out below:

1916 for Industries Served by Knit-Rite and Therafirm

Knit-Rite and Therafirm were not yet in operation.

Nylon was not used for stockings until the 1930s. In 1916, stockings were made of cotton or silk.

Amputations resulting from WWI during this time brought the importance of technology and development of prostheses to the attention of the US Surgeon General of the Army. This led to the formation of the American Orthotic & Prosthetic Association (AOPA) the year following in 1917.

Medical compression was used to treat some conditions, such as varicose veins, but due to the lack of today’s chemical fibers, materials used included laced stockings, elastic bands and tight bandages with resin.

Use of gradient compression was still a half a century away.

1916 Cost of Living

(Costs are averages)

1916

2016

Postage Stamp

$0.02

$0.49

Coffee (per pound)

$0.30

$7.94

Sugar (per pound)

$0.04

$1.74

Eggs (per dozen)

$0.38

$1.33

Bread (per loaf)

$0.04

$1.98

Car

$360

$33,560

Gas (per gallon)

$0.22

$2.21

Home

$3,000

$379,800

Gold (per ounce)

$20.67

$1,272.50

Movie Ticket

$0.07

$8.17

The average income in 1916 was roughly $700 per year for men and $350 per year for women.

1916 US Politics and History

The 33rd US Presidential election was held on November 7, 1916. Incumbent President and Democrat Woodrow Wilson beat the Republican challenger and Supreme Court Justice Charles Evans Hughes.

The Democrats held a majority in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Speaker of the House was Democrat Champ Clark. The House had 435 voting members.

The Senate, led by President pro temp. James Clarke, had 96 Senators.

Chief Justice of the Supreme Court was Edward Douglass White.

The US population was 101,961,000.

The American flag had only 45 stars even though the US had 48 states.

The first woman to serve in the US Congress, Jeannette Rankin, a 36-year-old Republican from Montana, was elected.

The Reserve Officer Training Corp – ROTC – is established.

Louis Brandeis becomes the first Jewish justice of the Supreme Court.

1916 World Events

The world was embroiled in World War I (then known as the Great War) between Allied Powers, led by France, the British Empire and Russia, and the Central Powers, led by Germany and Austria-Hungary. The US would later join the Allied Powers in 1917.

Paris, France was first bombed by German zeppelins.

The Battle of Verdun, one of the largest and longest battles of WWI, was fought in France between February 21 and December 18, 1916.

US President Woodrow Wilson sends 12,000 troops across the US-Mexico border to pursue Pancho Villa during the Mexican Revolution.

1916 Sports

The Professional Golfers Association of America (PGA) was created.

The World Series was won by the Boston Red Sox. Babe Ruth, then a 21-year-old pitcher, won game 2. The Red Sox would go on to win the series again in 1918 before suffering an 86-year drought.

The Chicago Cubs played their first game in Wrigley Field (then called Weeghman Park). Wrigley is currently the second oldest active MLB ballpark, opening in 1914. The Cubs have never won a World Series during their 100 years playing at Wrigley, and are now in their 108th year since a title and 71st year since an appearance in the World Series.

The Super Bowl was still 51 years away from existing. The NFL, which began as the American Professional Football Conference, was still 4 years away from its inaugural season.

The first Tournament of Roses football game (Rose Bowl) was played between Washington State University and Brown University. The Rose Bowl is the oldest American college football bowl game.

The Summer Olympics was scheduled to be held in Berlin, Germany, but was cancelled due to World War I.

1916 Achievements, Inventions and Other Firsts

The first blood transfusion was performed by British Royal Army Medical Corps.

The Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, at 984 feet, was the world’s tallest building. The tallest building in 2016 is the Burj Khalifa in dubai, UAE at 2,723 feet.

Albert Einstein completed his formulation of a general theory of relativity.

Claude Monet painted his Water Lilies series of paintings.

The light switch was invented.

The Saturday Evening Post published its first cover featuring a Norman Rockwell painting.